Beef Burritos With Dirty Rice
Spanish rice (or cilantro rice) would be the typical rice accompaniment for the known Mexican favorite dishes like burrito, enchiladas, and quesadillas. I did my own twist by using dirty rice for a Cajun flavor with this beef burrito. It’s good if you can make the dirty rice from scratch but if you’re busy opt for the mixes that are readily available in any grocery stores. Zatarain’s is a good brand to get but the store-brands like Great Value of Wal-Martare good too. The instruction in the box includes adding ground meat to the dirty rice but since I was making a steak burrito, that meat part for the rice was omitted.
Chicken Cooked In Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet
Since I had about a cup and a half left of my bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet, I decided to use it in cooking again. It’s almost like habit now that whatever I don’t drink from a Friday night ends up in food 2 or 3 days later. I think it’s a really delicious habit. Just like the chicken with red potatoes and onions cooked in red wine recipe, this chicken cooked in shiraz cabernet is very easy to make as well.
INGREDIENTS:
5-6 chicken thighs
1 cup of flour
drizzles of olive oil for browning(vegetable oil is fine)
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cup of Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet
1 cup of water
cooked mashed potatoes (optional)
Heat up oil in a nonstick skillet or a large pot.
Season the flour with salt and pepper. Drench both sides of the chicken thighs with seasoned flour.
Brown the chicken thighs, skin side down first. Roughly 6-8 minutes on each side. Do this in batches if needed, just place the browned chicken on a plate.
Once all the chicken pieces are browned, using the same pan, pour the wine then water into the pan. Stir everything together, then return the chicken into the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover the pan/pot. Simmer in medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Drenching the chicken in flour before browning helps a lot in making that delicious slightly thick sauce or gravy. I paired this chicken dish with cooked mashed potatoes and corn in the cob. I didn’t mean to make the mashed potatoes a little runny but it actually worked perfectly with the chicken. Ahhh, it was such a good combination. I was also thinking that creamy polenta would be great with this chicken too. I’ll try that combination next time I have leftover wine 
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Cooking Term: Fork Tender
You’ve encountered the words “fork tender” a lot in this blog in reference to potatoes especially when the post is about adobo or stews. I’m sure you’ve read cookbooks and heard chefs on TV using the term as well. Basically, fork tender pertains to how soft the potatoes are after boiling or adding into a dish.
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Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
I discovered this Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies recipe while watching an episode of Paula Deen on Food Network. The cookies looked so easy to make so I figured I’ll try making them too. A little crunch on the outside, buttery and moist on the inside. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Pork Cutlets & Broccoli Coleslaw Sandwich
I wasn’t really sure about the combination of pork cutlets with broccoli coleslaw at first but I figured I wouldn’t how it would be if I didn’t try, right? My husband wasn’t sure about it either when I told him about it. I think he was actually afraid to eat dinner that night, hehe. But guess what? The sandwiches were pretty good. And trust me, I am not a sandwich person, but my husband is. The good thing about this sandwich is you won’t need other condiments because the sauce from the coleslaw would suffice.
San Marino Chili Corned Tuna Frittata
If you are not familiar with San Marino tuna brand, that’s because you can only find it in the Philippines. Filipino stores all over the US don’t sell it, YET. I think Dubai has them now but the main place of production is in the Philippines. A Canada-based good friend/resident writer for a Filipino Showbiz blog that I own recently visited the Philippines. San Marino Corned Tuna happens to be one of the product endorsements of the two Filipino celebrities (Marian Rivera & Dingdong Dantes) that we both adore so naturally we want to know how San Marino tastes like. She bought some and shared 4 cans with me to try. Other friends from the Philippines who have tried it said it’s really good compared to its competitor Century Tuna.
I’ll just give a succinct review of the San Marino Corned Tuna because I want to get to the intended recipe for this post. It’s actually good. A little sweet but an 18oz can is packed with tuna flakes. I’ve only tasted 2 variants. The regular corned tuna and the chili flavor. I like the latter since I love spicy food. My children love San Marino Corned Tuna. The boy who doesn’t like spicy food ate up his share plus more of this frittata. My daughter on the other hand could’ve eaten all of it from the can if I wasn’t quick enough to take it from her coz I needed it for a pasta dish. That recipe would be posted some other time. For now, here’s my San Marino Chili Corned Tuna Frittata recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cans of San Marino Chili Corned Tuna
7 eggs
1/4 cup of half and half (cream or milk would work too)
3 sprigs of scallions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 small white potatoes, peeled, cubed in small pieces
salt & pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
butter
*I forgot to add the potatoes when I took the picture of the ingredients. You would need more shredded cheese than the one in the picture. Probably half a bag.
Preheat the oven to 250°.
Melt butter into a nonstick sauté pan. Sauté scallions and tomatoes for 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the potatoes to cook until tender.
Add the San Marino Chili Corned Tuna, stir then season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes or so.
Beat the eggs with half and half. Season with salt and pepper. Pour it over the tuna mixture.
Gently incorporate egg onto the tuna mixture. Let it cook to set for about 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle the cheese on top. Transfer the pan into the oven and cook it there until the eggs are set and the cheese has melted. Don’t cook too long. And don’t forget to use a potholder when taking the pan out of the oven .
Run a butter knife on the edges after you take it out of oven. This will help when it’s time to slice the wedges
Slice the frittata into triangles/wedges. A perfect breakfast or brunch for the whole family.
Like I said, she likes spicy food like her Mama . Now if only I can find San Marino brand in the nearest Filipino stores. I’d stock up my pantry with it. I would really love to try the Tuna Paella variant especially after watching the cheesy yet so romantic TV commercial 
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Spicy Shrimp And Vegetables Stir-Fry
This is a little different from the previous Spicy Shrimp With Green Peppers Stir-Fry dish that I’ve posted back in June. This one has more vegetables, I also used soy sauce as part of the seasoning, and this dish has slightly thickened sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bag of frozen shelled shrimps
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 head of broccoli
a cup of baby carrots
3-4 pieces of napa cabbage leaves, chopped in strips
2 tbsp of chili garlic sauce
1/2 cup of water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
Heat up the oil. Sauté garlic and onion until cooked. Add the frozen shrimp. No need to thaw the shrimps. Cook for about 3 minutes or so.
Add the broccoli and carrots, water, chili garlic sauce, and soy sauce. Stir and cover. Cook until the vegetable are tender. Not too soft. You want to maintain the crunchy textures.
Add the green peppers and napa cabbage in the end. Stir and cook until the green peppers are tender but still crunchy. Stir in the cornstarch mixture to thickened the sauce. Turn the stove off to avoid over cooking the veggies and shrimp.
Serve with white rice. I’m cutting back on rice so I only had 1/2 cup even though I had seconds of the spicy shrimp and veggies.
